SkiLink land grab | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I have figured out this SkiLink proposal to have the federal government sell national forest land so a private gondola can connect resorts in Park City and Big Cottonwood Canyon.

SkiLink is not about improving the skiing experience. It won't, unless your idea of a great ski day is paying a lot of money to ride lifts for half of the day.

Nor is it about reducing traffic. It won't. If SkiLink is popular, it will increase traffic.

SkiLink is about setting a dangerous and odious precedent. If our dim-witted representatives can force Congress to sell off public land to a Canadian real estate and mining conglomerate, then the line between public land and private development will have been obliterated. That's the goal.

Developers all over the state are licking their chops at the prospect of convincing their congressional lap dog to put the fix in on prime public land for their private benefit.

Remember, the SkiLink legislation was introduced by the same corporate shills who want to require the feds to turn over control of all public land to the state. Anyone who cares about the future should actively oppose SkiLink before it's too late.

Steve Russell

Moab